In this era of internet insecurity and uncertainty, buying art online can feel risky. Because of rampant stolen creative, fake profiles, and AI-generated slop everywhere, Art buyers will naturally question legitimacy.

Most buyers hesitate with their decision, not because they dislike the art — but because they can’t trust the source.

One of the problems is a crisis of authenticity. Buyers will often wonder. Is this artist real? or is this a fake profile looking to scam me? Speaking of scamming, do they actually own this work or has this been copied from somewhere else? Is it someone else’s intellectual property and could there be any legal repercussions down the road?

 

Without proof of ownership, or lack of credentials, a lot of buyers will walk away.

 

How Artists can Rectify this on Artist Armor.

Firstly, create a professional profile. And I mean professional. Use your real name or brand, a clear photo, and a strong bio. This will at least disarm buyers from thinking you’re a fraud because you have disclosed some personal information about yourself, and you aren’t hiding behind a fake name or avatar.

Be sure to document your work. This means add proper titles, creation dates, and copyright metadata within your art program. There is a reason that you can add this information and you should use it. It tracks the work to you, and will help ID you as the creator. Artist Armor doesn’t delete the metadata from your work.

 

Keep interactions on the Artist Armor platform.

I cannot stress this enough. Artist Armor goes through three stages of security before anyone sees your art. 

 

ID Verification

The only thing you can do through the site is search the marketplace. As soon as you want to contact anyone, purchase their wares or upload anything, you must be verified. 

 

Artist Armor’s ID verification is to protect the buyer and the seller. It establishes that the patron and the artist are who they say they are and have proven it with proper ID. But that is not enough. 

 

Human Approval Process

A moderator has to approve your file before it is available to you in your file library. You will be able to see it there, you just can’t access it until approved. 

 

Chunked Files

Upon upload, the file will go through the securest of features on Artist Armor first. The chunking process. The file will already be protected before you can even view it. 

 

Along with the initial security, each conversation and action is time-stamped and collected and available at your fingertips. Trust is established before the transaction has even begun.

 

The results are when buyers see credibility and documentation, they feel safe with purchasing your art. They know that you are a real person, and that is a great jumping-off point when starting a business relationship. 

 

 

THERE IS A HIDDEN LEGAL FEAR THAT STOPS ART SALES — AND HOW TO FIX IT

One of the biggest reasons people don’t buy art online is fear of copyright trouble. If they have an artist or creator in front of them, there is a reasonable expectation that the art comes from them. But that world has changed, and buyers have shifted their spending habits to looking online.

 

Businesses especially worry about future disputes.

One of the problems is the confusion pertaining to Rights. Buyers now think, 

 

“Do I really have permission to use this?” 

 

So many people have their creative stolen, to be repurposed. What if this is just another one of those times? 

 

“What if someone else claims it later?” 

 

Companies often build their entire business and trade dress around artwork, think of the Coca Cola typeface, or the MacDonalds golden arches. If there is uncertainty, then that means no sale and the buyer will go elsewhere. 

 

How Artists Can Allay This on Artist Armor

If you’re a company employee, then anything that is created within the company’s purview, belongs to the company, But if you are a freelance work for hire, then you need to relay the terms and conditions of the creative usage and how and when they can use your creation.

 

This is when you need to be clear about usage rights. You have to state whether pieces are original, or copied; for personal use, commercial use, or for licensing. 

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Ask buyers about their plans. 

Discuss where and how the art will be used. If you give up all rights, then you have nothing to complain about when that logo, photograph, music sting, or anything that you created is found on an undesirable product or used in a way that is against your ethics and standards. 

 

Know where your creations are being used upfront, that way you can be informed and make educated decisions on not only if you want to work with the buyer, but potentially how you are going to tackle their needs.

Keep agreements documented 

 

You shouldn’t have to be told to create a contract and/or document your communications. Luckily with Artist Armor’s messaging systems, a rights trail is created and documented and available to you, right from your profile.

Clarity replaces fear for the buyer AND the seller — and that confidence will drive those art purchases.

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WHY CONFUSING ART PRICING PUSHES BUYERS AWAY (AND HOW TO MAKE IT CLEAR)

Art pricing often feels mysterious to buyers. They will look at one thing you’ve sold for $20, and another that you’ve sold for $200 and not understand the reasons why. 

 

When people don’t understand what they’re paying for, they usually don’t pay for anything at all.

The problem is that there is no clear value structure. Buyers often wonder why art is priced the way it is. You can certainly clear up any confusion by letting them understand the process and the final delivery. Is it a simple motion graphic that you have templated, or are you building a file from scratch? What kind of research do you have to do to realize the buyer’s needs, or are you just one step above of a stock site that they don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars to subscribe to? 

 

What is the final usage? This is important, so you know what you are in for. You did a music sting for a local business, you think they are only going to play it in a local market, and it ends up on the Superbowl®. Should you be paid more? Probably.

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How Artists Can Allay This on Artist Armor

Simply explain your pricing logic. If it’s artwork, base it on size, exclusivity, or licensing scope. Make sure you discuss where it will be displayed, and adjust your price accordingly. 

 

One way to determine how your creative should be used is the three tiered system: Personal use, commercial use, and exclusive rights. 

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For personal use, they agree to use it only in conjunction with their own personal activities. They like a cartoon you’ve made, and they are going to put it on their wall. But if that cartoon is reproduced, and sold, given away or used in conjunction with a business, then it is for commercial use. Businesses are going to be making money off your work, you should be compensated for that. If the business wants to use your artwork, and doesn’t want you to relicense or sell it to anyone else, then they are looking at an exclusive contract. They should be paying you not to reuse your art. 

 

The result is that businesses should have money to spend, Owners understand what being in business is, otherwise they they shouldn’t be in business - so transparency about your art will make purchasing easier and faster.

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ONLINE ART SCAMS ARE REAL — HERE’S HOW ARTISTS CAN REASSURE BUYERS

This is not a new story. Artists have been ghosted for their payments, and businesses receive low-quality, stock site, or ai deliveries while commissioning real artists to do the work, and these scam stories have made buyers more than cautious, they have made them think twice.

 

The main problem is the fear of losing money. Business are created to make money, and companies hesitate in dealing with artists because they’ve either been taken advantage of, or have seen others burned in the process.

 

How Artists Can Allay This on Artist Armor

Stay professional and responsive. These are businesses that are looking to present themselves to their customers in a professional manner, expand their profits and grow. They want to know that you are capable of achieving that through your creativity.  

 

Quick, clear communication builds trust. Friendliness is key, but sincere and straight-forward communication is what will keep the business owner satisfied that you are the right choice. Businesses hire people that will work with them to achieve results. 

 

Not all business owners have your best interest in mind. They will try to get the most out of you for the minimal amount, and sometimes change the conditions of the contract because they feel that it doesn’t benefit them like it once did, or they never intended to follow through with their promise, and considering you are just a freelancer, they know you won’t go out of your way to rectify the injustice. It costs money and time. This is why you communicate and deliver your product through our secure systems. 

 

On the reverse side, sometimes creators are flaky and ignore deadlines and try to step outside the contract because they don’t realize the scope and gravity of what they are promising for the price they promised. The job becomes too daunting, and they lose interest, or want more money, or even disappear owing creative.

You are able to use Artist Armor’s platform tools to build a communication history. The results are that a real account of the message history creates buyer confidence.

 

 

WHY DIGITAL ART FEELS “TOO FREE” TO BUY — AND HOW PROTECTION CREATES VALUE

When art can be copied instantly, buyers struggle to see its worth. They don’t see it as art, they see it as how does this add value to their business. 

 

Part of the problem is a lack of scarcity. Hundreds of websites offer stock images, videos, templates, music, graphics, and currently ai can create anything with the right prompt. If everything feels instantly available and downloadable, why should they pay top prices?

 

How Artists Can Allay This on Artist Armor

Remember, the thing about stock sites and ai is the business owner doesn’t have exclusivity to their graphics. Their competition can and have used the same graphics to drive traffic away and steal their profits. They know this. They just don’t want to admit it, because it will lose leverage during communication.

 

The use of the seven points of security on the file viewer shows that your art is worth protecting. Your creativity is unique, just as unique as their business.  

 

You can show your creations without giving them away and they can see that you aren’t someone to take advantage of. 

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With your high-quality files located in the Artist Armor Vault, they know that they can’t just download your files without going through the proper channels. In addition to positioning your work as specialty licensed or limited edition, that when they purchase your wares, they know their competition doesn’t have access to the same files. 

The result create the feeling that protected art feels valuable and worth investing in, just like their business.

 

 

THE AWKWARD BUYING EXPERIENCE THAT’S KILLING ART SALES (AND HOW TO FIX IT)

Buying art through social media DMs feels uncomfortable and unprofessional. There is something about a face to face meeting that legitimizes the transaction, but to take advantage of the global marketplace it’s not always viable to do this. Because of this it creates the problem of informal transactions.

Online negotiations creates unclear expectations, vague pricing, and casual chats that lead nowhere.

 

How Artists Can Allay This on Artist Armor

Use structured inquiries. If they don’t give you a creative brief, ask for one. If they don’t have one, make sure you ask qualifying questions early. What is their budget? When is the deadline? What is the scope of the work they want done? Guide buyers through a clear process so there is no misunderstanding. Artist Armor will record the back and forth communication, and if there is any disagreement with what was said, simply pull up the audit report and it will show you everything in convenient pdf. 

 

The results are a smooth, professional experience leads to more completed sales.